Apparatus for treating textile materials



Sept. 26, 1933. F. SCHUSTER APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MATERIALS Filed March 31, 1932 Patented Sept. 26, 1933 UNITED STATES APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE MA- TERIALS Fritz Schuster, Chemnitz, Germany Application March 31, 1932, Serial No. 602,360, and in Germany May 6, 1931 5 Claims. (Cl. 223-17) This invention relates to an apparatus for the treatment of textile materials, and more particularly for moistening, damping and ironing stockings.

It is known on the one hand to heat the vertically disposed pairs of rollers in accordance with the different stages of treatment, either directly or indirectly, and on the other hand to construct these rollers so as to be capable of absorbing moisture.

Now it has been found that weals or'flaws in the texture, finger prints and other irregularities cannot be removed in their entirety by treatment with the pairs of rollers normally provided, and that it is necessary to employ special pairs of rollers acting on the fabric in such fashion that not only flaws but also finger prints, etc., are completely removed, whilst the complete surface of the fabric is acted upon by the rollers in fully even and uniform manner at all points.

Experience has shown that at the point where the stocking contacts with the marginal edges of the mould or form stripes are formed, which cannot be removed by ironing rollers of the usual kind. As well known, the stockings, prior to the treatment, are moistened when in position on the form, and are then conducted to the single pairs of rollers. These rollers engage the fabric of the stocking at the points where the stocking contacts with the edges of the form to a less degree than at the two sides. In this manner stripes are formed, and after the treatment has been completed the stocking has an irregular appearance. This disadvantage is also encountered if 'in place of the rollers plates are employed, the treatment of the stockings being performed between pairs of plates.

In particular, coloured stockings require to be subjected to very careful treatment before the same are placed on the market, in order that the stockings are not only furnished with a proper, definiteshape, but also possessa completely uniform appearance in their texture.

The moulds or forms consist preferably of metal plates, for example aluminium, these plates being cut to the outer profile of the stocking. The forms may be hollow, and composed of two plates placed one upon the other, between which there is a hollow space. ,These plate-like supports, following the profile of the stocking, possess relatively sharp or narrow marginal edges, which are usually somewhat sharpened in order to produce the necessary longitudinal crease in the finished stocking. Heretofore rollers have been employed which are covered with felt, and between which the forms having the stockings fitted thereon are compelled to pass. These forms, of course, may also consist of plates. Now it has been found in practice that with an apparatus of this kind it is undoubtedly possible to subject the two flat portions of the stocking to satisfactory treatment,

but not to obtain uniform treatment of the parts of the fabric situated along the creases, that is to say -the marginal portions considered in relation to the form. Stockings treated with feltcovered rollers, or subjected to an ironing process between plates furnished with a covering of felt or the like, reveal along the creases after the treatment has been completed a striped portion distinguishable in very unpleasing fashion from the remainder of the fabric. clearly recognizable on both sides of the crease when the stocking is being worn.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantage in question, and this is accomplished by the fact that the rollers or plates employed are furnished with a facing of soft rubber, rubber sponge or the like.

The pairs of rollers furnished with a facing of. this nature are preferably disposed between the moistening device and the remaining pairs of rollers or drying chambers employed for the treatment of the stockings. When employing several pairs of rollers furnished with a rubber facing, the single pairs are provided with facings of different thickness, or different hardness, in order to ensure that weals, flaws, finger prints and other markings are entirely removed, and also that the treatment of the stockings is of a perfectly uniform nature also at the points where the stockings rest on the edges of the forms.

Rollers furnished with soft rubber or rubber sponge have the peculiarity of adapting themselves to the fabric in perfectly even fashion upon the passage of the forms, that is to say the fabric is also subjected to pressure thereby at those points which are situated along the marginal edges of the form. Rollers furnished with a facing of rubber sponge or the like may act both as moistening as well as moistureabsorbing rollers, either singly or simultaneously, for example when, prior to the passagev of the forms, water trickles onto the rollers which serves to moisten the stockings positioned on the form. Upon the continued movement of the forms pressing takes place between the rollers which, however, as the forms move away, by reason of their nature again suck up the moisture from the stockings.

The rollers furnished with a rubber facing may This, stripe is also be employed with similar effect in conjunc- Fig. 3 is the plan view of a possible form of embodiment of an apparatus? for the. treatment of stockings, having rollers constructed in. accordance with the invention and showing rollers of the usual character in section.

Referring now to the drawing, 1 and 2 are two rollers, which are furnished with a facing of soft rubber, rubber sponge or the like 3; As shown in Fig. 1, the rollers are situated so close together that their faces contact. 4 are the moulds or forms on which the stockings are placed. In Fig. 2 there is shown in plan on enlarged scale part of a mould or form of the kind employed. The forms are bounded by the two lateral faces 5 and rear and front edges .6. The transient portion between the lateral faces 5 and the edge 6 preferably consists of an inclined or slightly curved surface 7. The crease in the stocking is formed along the edge,6. The rollers hitherto in use furnished with a facing of felt or similar material, that is to,saya material other than rubber, act quite evenly on the fabric on the lateral faces 5. At the point a, however, the uniform nature of this treatment commences to wane, and ceases entirely shortly in front of the edge 6, whereby in the zone I) on both sides of the crease stripes are caused in the fabric, which are wholly avoided if in place of the rollers furnished with a facing of felt or the like rollers are employed having a facing of soft rubber, rubber sponge, etc.

Fig. 1 shows clearly that the rubber facing 3 on the two rollers 1 and 2 thrusts in perfectly snug fashion about the front edge 6 of the form 4 passing between the rollers, so that the fabric of the stocking is subjected to a completely uniform treatment up to the extreme edge 6.

The same effect is obtained if in place of the rollers there are employed presser plates furnished with a soft rubber facing of 'a similar kind.

Rollers furnished with soft rubber or rubber sponge possess the additional advantage that the same absorb the moisture, which accumulates in the fabric as a result of the ironing operation, particularly at the front edge 6, exactly at that moment when the roller and fabric commence to move apart.

In Fig. 3 there are shown the upright forms 4 mounted on an endless chain, belt or the like, and moving past a table 8 on. which the forms are fitted with the stockings. Positioned on the forms the stockings then traverse a moistemng device 9, in which there are preferably provided oppositely disposed series of nozzles 10 to ensure of even moistening of the stockings. 11 and 12 are the known pairs of rollers. performing the ironing operation. These rollers may be heated either directly or indirectly, or they may also be constructed as moisture-absorbing rollers. In the roller track there is also situated between the pairs of rollers a drying chamber 13 traversed by the stockings located on the forms.

In accordance with the invention, as illustrated by the form of embodiment shown in the drawing, there are provided. between the moistening device 9 and the rollers 11 two additional pairs of rollers 14 and 15.

These rollers are provided with a facing of soft rubber, rubber sponge or the like, or consist wholly of this material. The drawing shows that the facing on the rollers 14 is thinner than that on the rollers 15. I In consequence of this the softness and the power of adaptation in relation to the fabric varies in the case of the two pairs of drawing the pairs of rollers 14 and 15 are shown 7 as being upright. The same, however, may also be used for forms situatedflatly.

Whilst for the purpose .of description I have referred generally in the above to rubber or rubber sponge as. the facing material for the rollers or plates, and it is correct that, generally speaking, this facing will consist of naturalrubber produced from raw caoutchouc, it will nevertheless'be'understood that I may also employ artificial or synthetic rubber.

It will also be understood that no restriction is made to the specific form of embodiment illustrated in the drawing, which has been quoted merely by way of example, and that various modifications are quite possible within the meaning of the above description and the annexed claims a without departing from the spirit of th invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus for treating stockings, the combination of rigid forms or molds onto which the stockings are to be drawn, said forms being flattened and having reduced marginal edges, at least one pair of cooperating rollers betwee which the forms are to be passed to subject the material to a pressure treatment, said rollers having soft rubber facings, and means for carrying the forms between said rollers.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the facing of the pair of rollers consists of rubber sponge.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, provided with a plurality of pairs of rollers with rubber facings, the single pairs being furnished with rubber facings of different thickness or different hardness.

4. In an apparatus for treating stockings, the combination of rigid forms or moldsontowhich the stockings are to be drawn, said forms being flattened and having reduced marginal edges, a pair of cooperating pressing surfaces between which the forms are to be separately placed to subject the material to a pressure treatment, said surfaces having soft rubber facings, and means for carrying the forms and placing them between the pressing surfaces.

5. In an apparatus for treating stockings, the combination of rigid forms or molds onto which the stockings are to be drawn, said forms being flattened and having an edge portion-extending between the lateral faces of the form, at least one pair of cooperating rollers between which the forms are passed to subject the stockings to a pressure treatment, said rollers contacting under pressure to form a surface engagement and having rubber facings of a degree of softness which will overreach the entire edge portion positioned between the rollers and thrust the rubber facing snugly against the edge portion to subject the material along the edge portion to a substantially uniform pressure treatment, and means for carrying the forms between the rollers.

. FRITZ SCHUSTER. 

